4 Layer Dark Chocolate Raspberry Cake
2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
Raspberry Filling*
Dark Chocolate Frosting*
Garnish: fresh raspberries
Raspberry Filling*
1 cup fresh raspberries
Milk
1/2 cup butter, softened
5 cups sifted powdered sugar
Preparation
Process raspberries in a food processor until smooth, stopping once to scrape down sides. Pour puree through a fine wire-mesh strainer, pressing with the back of a spoon; discard seeds. Add enough milk to equal 1/2 cup.
Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar alternately with raspberry mixture, beginning and ending with powdered sugar. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition.
Yield Makes 2 2/3 cups
Dark Chocolate Pudding*
6 tablespoons butter, softened
2 2/3 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa
6 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preparation
Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy. Combine powdered sugar and cocoa; gradually add to butter alternately with milk and vanilla, beginning and ending with powdered sugar mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition.
Tip: To prevent a white dusting on your chocolate cake layers, dust cakepans with cocoa instead of flour.
Yield Makes 2 1/4 cups
.
Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl, and make a well in center of
mixture. Stir together eggs and next 3 ingredients; add to dry ingredients.
Beat at low speed with an electric mixer just until blended. Beat at medium
speed 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water. Pour batter into 2 greased and
floured 9-inch round cakepans.
Bake at 350° for 35 minutes or until cake begins to pull away from sides of
pan and a wooden pick inserted in center of each layer comes out almost
clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool
completely on wire racks.
Split layers horizontally. Spread Raspberry Filling evenly between layers.
Spread Dark Chocolate Frosting on top and sides of cake. Garnish, if
desired.
Yield Makes 12 to 15 servings
Lauren Brumfield, Germantown, Tennessee , Oxmoor House, JULY 2004 Southern Living Cook-Off Cookbook